MHS names Bendle head football coach

BYESVILLE Mitchell "Mitch" J. Bendle, a native of Amsterdam and a graduate of Muskingum College, will be the next head coach of the football team at Meadowbrook High School.

During a special meeting Tuesday night, the Rolling Hills Local Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Bendle.

"This is a great challenge," Bendle said, "and a great opportunity."

For the past seven years, Bendle has coached as a varsity assistant working with the defensive backs and wide receivers at Lakewood High School in Licking County. He also taught physical education there at the middle school.

He also has coached wrestling and baseball, serving as a coach in one capacity or another for 11 years and as a teacher for 10 years.

Bendle told the board he will work diligently at building pride and a sense of responsibility among his student athletes.

"I love kids and I love athletes," he said. "I will treat them with respect and treat them like they were my own kids."

The 11th of 11 children, Bendle developed a sense of responsibility early as he grew up in Amsterdam, about 20 miles north of Steubenville. He attended Springfield High School where he was a running back on the football team, a position he reprised at Muskingum College.

A four-year letterman, he earned a spot on the second team of the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Bendle said the most important quality of a coach is to care about the players.

"I will work on building trust with my players," he said.

He also wants to instill a good work ethic in the players.

"I want them to set as a goal perfect attendance in the off-season workouts and in practices," he said. "That should be their individual goals."

He also will encourage them to build character and a strong, positive attitude.

"Attitude is everything," he said, "in all that you do in life. I want to build their pride and [sense of] responsibility. Not only do I want them to develop pride as individuals, but pride as a team.

"Any student athlete who develops responsibility and the right attitude is going to be successful."